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Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Endoscopic Endonasal Trans-sphenoidal Approach: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas
Published on: January 17, 2018
Tuberculum sellae meningioma symptomatic during pregnancy: pathophysiological considerations
F H Ebner1, A Bornemann, H Wilhelm
1Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany. florianebner@virgilio.it
Abstract:
A 31 year old woman in her second pregnancy presented in the 31st (+4) week of gestation with progressive visual impairment of the right eye. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a tuberculum sellae meningioma that was displaced upward by a markedly enlarged pituitary gland. Neuro-ophthalmological follow-up examinations showed a progressive decrease of visual acuity and right temporal field loss. Therefore, a caesarean section was performed in the 34th (+8) week. The meningioma was removed three days after childbirth via a right-sided pterional approach. Post-operatively, visual function was completely restored. Immunohistochemical examination showed positive staining for progesterone receptors (PR) in approximately 50% of tumour cells. Enlargement of the pituitary gland during late pregnancy in conjunction with a preexisting tuberculum sellae meningioma is the most likely pathophysiological factor responsible for visual loss. Enlargement of the PR-positive meningioma in the hormonal milieu of pregnancy might have contributed additionally to visual loss.
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